What do the people in England call a garbage collector?

Baloo55th

SOmething unprintable if he spills the stuff... Seriously, we don't have the distinction between garbage and trash. It's all rubbish. The collectors are called bin-men by the people who put stuff in the bins, and refuse disposal operatives and other such names by the people who pay them. Things are getting somewhat confused now, though. There are several different lots of stuff collected. Here in the Borough of Sefton at present rubbish is put in black bags, garden waste in green bags, and cans, bottles and waste paper in green boxes. Just down the road in West Lancashire, they collect plastic bottles as well, but use wheelie bins for the garden stuff and rubbish. Recycling is in, big style. The cub pack I'm associated with collects scrap metal (copper, bronze, zinc, but mainly aluminium) to raise funds, so I can sometimes be found raiding green boxes... Sep 13 06, 10:35 AM

augiet

Many Thanks Sep 13 06, 10:40 AM

satguru

Dustmen in London and surrounding areas at least. I think binmen is more northern. Sep 13 06, 10:43 AM

Little_Heaven

Yes, the garbage collectors here don't get paid very well. In fact,you could say....they are paid a rubbish wage! Sep 13 06, 11:00 AM

lanfranco

In the U.S., Baloo, the distinction between "garbage" and "trash" pretty much exists only in a figurative sense. "Garbage" is something worthless, ridiculous, or not worth considering (rather like the figurative sense of "rubbish" in the U.K.). "Trash" is something, or someone, tacky and lower-class. We also use the verb "to trash," which means to destroy something, usually a hotel room occupied by rock stars and they partying friends. Otherwise, trash and garbage mean the same thing -- rubbish to be collected and taken to a dump. There may be a regional usage issue here: I grew up with a trashman, but my husband's family had a garbageman. Our trash/garbage collectors are usually unionized and make pretty good money. They deserve it. Sep 13 06, 4:44 PM

davejacobs

I Hampshire (the old variety) we compromise and call then 'dustbinmen'. Sep 14 06, 1:08 AM

Baloo55th

i remember reading somewhere about a British visitor to the USA who was told very firmly, 'Hey lady! I'm trash not garbage!' Never been certain which was which. Sep 14 06, 5:27 AM

gymkarter13

Some areas "wet" is garbage.. "dry" is trash.... Sep 26 11, 3:38 PM